This article is part of our Celebrating Success in MUN: Recognition and Rankings in 2020-2021 series. Please read here to understand about the purpose behind these articles.
This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted how Model United Nations is done. Many college Model UN conferences had to figure out how to pivot to virtual formats. Many head delegates and club members had to navigate not only college virtually, but meeting and training in MUN virtually. And some MUN teams faced challenges that were difficult to navigate and may have prevented their teams from being as active on the circuit as they would have liked, or may have cancelled MUN altogether.
Nevertheless, Model UN was happening on the college MUN circuit this year. Here at Best Delegate, we want to make sure that the community’s hard work and dedication this year is recognized. There were a lot of college MUN leaders who had to step up and lead — conference organizers who had to create new experiences, head delegates who had to recruit and train their teams virtually, and many other leaders who have contributed to the college MUN community in intangible ways. College MUN would not have been possible without these leaders this year.
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Purpose: The purpose of the North American Collegiate Model UN All-Star Team is to recognize exemplary individuals in the college MUN community who have made a difference inside and outside of committee. These sometimes represent but are not necessarily limited to just the best delegates or award winners; conferences already determine those accolades. Rather, the College MUN All-Star Team should be representative of the best and most respected leaders in the community. They are diplomatic and skilled in committee, help strengthen the relationships between schools, provide thoughtful leadership, and make the Model UN experience better for everyone.
Process: College students who participated in at least one college Model United Nations conference in North America were eligible to submit one nomination form of up to ten students on the college circuit. Because of the All-Star Team’s emphasis on community, students were only allowed to nominate up to two delegates from their own school and were not allowed to nominate themselves. The nomination process took place from April 26, 2021 – May 2, 2021, and was promoted to a wide range of universities by the Best Delegate Media team. Each nominated name received one vote. Ballots were manually edited for spelling inconsistencies and manually checked for validity. Delegates receiving the top number of votes were given All-Star team honors divided into three tiers that reflect the percentage of votes received.
Credits: Best Delegate Media Team members Jamey Battle, and Timur Saiful, helped with the promotion of the voting and the sourcing of the bios and photos. Best Delegate co-founder Kevin Felix Chan tallied the data, and Best Delegate Media Team member Zoey Fisher put together the final article. Thank you to all the individuals who contributed biographies, and thanks to everyone on the circuit for participating in recognizing their peers for leadership in the community!
All names are in alphabetical order by first name within each tier. Biographies and photos are provided by the All-Star’s peers when available. This year’s biographers represented some of the top delegates on the circuit that were friends, teammates, and competitors of All-Star Team members.
Note for any missing bios: our Media Team made our best attempt to reach out to writers based on voter submissions. Missing bios can be submitted to zoey.fisher@bestdelegate.com to be included.
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COLLEGE MODEL UN ALL-STAR TEAM (FIRST TEAM)
Amanda Saji
The George Washington University
Amanda Saji has been an absolute joy to work with as a member of GW’s leadership team as a close friend and confidant. Her tireless work planning GW’s mock conferences throughout the year ensured that our freshmen would have a strong footing when we return to in-person conferences, something for which our entire team is extremely grateful. As everyone she’s ever met on the circuit can attest, she has an incredible talent for Ad-Hoc committees and making sure that everyone in the room is having just as great of a time as she is. Her back-to-back gavels this year are the piece de resistance on a delegate who embodies all that MUN is about, and we’re incredibly excited to see all she can do leading the team next year!
Ashley Weathers
Florida International University
Ashley Weathers was a force in the circuit and off the circuit during her time as an undergraduate student. She joined FIU’s program in her freshman year and made a lasting impression from her first day to her last day as an FIU delegate. While always a leader on the team, Ashley shined when she took on the role of Head Delegate for the 2020-2021 school year. She played a tremendous role in adapting FIU’s Model UN program from in-person competition to the Zoom environment. Ashley is an incredibly passionate worker and is sure to find success in her future endeavors. Beyond working and MUN, Ashley can be found making tiktoks, buying clothes, or both!
Clio Klapsis
University of Southern California
Clio Klapsis aka cklapsis aka Taylor Swift Aficionado aka Queen Clio is a rising junior and the current President of the USC Model UN Team. Even though this is just her 4th-semester doing MUN, Clio is already a terror on the circuit, consistently winning awards in the largest General Assemblies. Since her freshman year, she has won awards at big conferences such as HNMUN, UCBMUN, and most recently, a gavel at LAMUN. She has struck a remarkable balance between excellent speech delivery and detailed policy writing, making her a role model for our entire team. In fact, were it not for her leading by example at every conference this semester, our young team would not have been able to perform as well as we did. She has also been a huge motivator, cultivating new community service initiatives so members not competing online this year could still stay engaged. Perhaps most importantly, Clio has been a friend to us all. Despite the competitive nature of GA committees, she always manages to be kind and genuine with everyone she meets. She has also committed her time to checking in with all the members of our team, making sure that we’re all doing alright throughout this long year of Zoomiversity. We will never forget all that Clio has given to our team, and we can’t wait to see her dominate the circuit next year! WE LOVE YOU CLIO!! MUNSC FOR LIFE <3
Emilio Cuebas
The College of William & Mary
Emilio is a rising senior at William & Mary majoring in International Relations and Philosophy. He had a very successful year on the circuit, securing awards at ChoMUN, VICS, and HallMUN. In addition to traveling, Emilio also served on our conference coordination team as a director of engagement, recruiting and retaining new members for our travel team. Aside from Emilio’s dedication to W&M’s travel team, he also served on the secretariat of W&M’s high school conference, helping to make the first virtual iteration a huge success. Emilio is deeply committed to Model UN and to our club, and his kindness and willingness to go the extra step to ensure the success of his teammates is unmatched. Whether it’s arc help, giving a pep talk before committee, or delivering food to all corners of campus, Emilio is always there for both our travel team and our club as a whole. The W&M travel team is so lucky to have Emilio as our Head Delegate next year, and we can’t wait to see what the future holds under his leadership.
Emily Kao
University of Virginia
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Finn Thompson
Georgetown University
Finn Thompson is a rising senior on the Georgetown University Model UN team pursuing a double major in biology and computer science with a minor in French. He joined GUMUN as a freshman and has since become one of Georgetown’s most successful delegates. Notorious across the circuit for his imaginative and flamboyant crisis arcs, Finn’s unmatched ability to turn committees upside-down, paired with his magnetic personality, have helped him amass an arsenal of gavels and awards. On this year’s virtual circuit, Finn picked up three gavels, two of which were in Ad-Hoc committees, and earned awards in every other committee he competed in. Perhaps most impressively, he competed and won awards in three back-to-back conferences this spring—VICS, ChoMUN, and &MUN—before dedicating a fourth consecutive weekend to coaching team GUMUN to a Best Small Delegation award at LAMUN. But don’t let Finn’s overwhelming list of accolades intimidate you. As a member of the team’s conferences staff, Finn puts as much effort into helping others succeed as he does for himself. Also known as Dr. Meme, Ph.D., Finn single-handedly revitalized the quality of GUMUN’s memes when he joined the team and works tirelessly to make the team a more inclusive and supportive place. Hopefully Finn will use this summer to rest his shoulders after carrying the team so that he can come back and dominate again next year. HOYA SAXA!
Isabella Newell
Boston University
Bella Newell is a titan of the Boston University Model UN team. Since joining the team last year, Bella has continued to be an exemplary delegate in and out of committee. From coming up with the first ever “fanfiction arc” that has made its way to every conference on the circuit, to making committee-inspired graphics on Canva, and even picking up a collection of bestie gavels along the way, Bella has certainly made her mark on the circuit year. Bella has already broken one team record and is even on track to break a few more! During this past year, Bella served as a MUN@BU Director and also as a MUNtor where she worked to not only improve the team’s MUN skills but also our team culture. If she wasn’t planning bloc meetings, JPDs, or crisis arcs for herself, she was doing all that and more for someone else. Even though this year was like no other, Bella worked hard to put everything into MUN@BU this year and we cannot thank her enough for showing us what dedication, passion, excellence (and a gavel collection) truly look like. In addition to MUN@BU, Bella has also served as a USG for BarMUN, a Senator in BU Student Government, and will be leading MUN@BU as Head Delegate in the upcoming year! Whether you have competed with Bella in committee, met her at a simulation, or seen her on the MUN@BU Instagram, you know that she is an incredible delegate who is ready to tackle the circuit next year and lead MUN@BU to our next victory and many more after that! We cannot wait to see what amazing things the MUN@BU team accomplishes under her Servant Leadership!
Jack Korologos
Georgetown University
Jack Korologos is a graduating senior from Georgetown University and served as Conferences Coordinator and Head Delegate for Team GUMUN this past year. Serving on the Conferences Staff team since sophomore year, Jack has dedicated himself to creating an inclusive and vibrant team culture, and under his leadership as CC this past year, GUMUN has grown closer and stronger than ever. Despite being fully virtual, the team had both the largest and most successful freshman class in years, a testament to Jack’s commitment to mentoring GU’s FreshMUN. With Jack as CC, GUMUN blew away the competition, winning delegation awards at 8 conferences, including Best Large Delegation awards at McMUN, ChoMUN, and HallMUN. In his final year on the circuit, Jack continued his reign in the circuit’s toughest committees, gaveling MUNE’s Ad-hoc and LAMUN’s Ad-hoc and picking up another two best delegate awards at HallMUN and VICS. Jack will end his GUMUN career with 10 gavels, second all-time for Georgetown. However, Jack will undoubtedly be remembered most for the love, loyalty, and passion he has demonstrated throughout his time on the team.
Jamey Battle
University of California, Los Angeles
Since Jamey weaseled her way into the hearts of MUN at UCLA after her illustrious MUN career at UC Santa Barbara, one thing you can say for certain is that she leaves a lot to live up to. Jamey Battle is a graduating senior that has served as the Director of Training and one of the three head delegates on the UCLA travel team this year. Whether she’s running track at Drake Stadium, or asleep in the dorms as a star RA, Jamey time and time again has shown her dedication to MUN and her friends. As a head delegate for MUN at UCLA, Jamey quickly accrued numerous awards, while routinely downplaying her own performance. Her personality was only overshadowed by her impressive character, eloquence, and brilliance. More than dazzling at competitions, though, Jamey actively trained the club as the Director of Training, she was an incredibly kind mentor to both the UCLA travel team and BruinMUN and LAMUN staff, she chaired the thrilling LAMUN Ad-Hoc this year, and more importantly, she has been an amazing friend. Most Likely to pull off a tiara, Jamey’s warmth, dedication, and passion to MUN cannot be overstated. The MUN at UCLA family will miss her dearly as she goes to leave her mark on the world, just as she has left her mark on us. Maybe she’ll even learn how to properly flip a cup finally. Long Live the Matriarchy!
Javier Guerrero
Georgetown University
Javier Guerrero is a rising senior at Georgetown studying Global Business. Javi is notorious for dedicating his focus to the rest of the team over his own committees, while still maintaining an impressive track record of awards. Javi is constantly working on the sidelines building team morale and making himself available as a resource to everyone. This past year, Javi served as the Deputy Conferences Coordinator for Trainings and designed a stellar training curriculum that prepared our delegates for success. Javi also served as the designated C-Staff coach for 16 delegates throughout the year, in addition to the countless team members he supported informally. The tremendous success of Team GUMUN can largely be attributed to Javi’s efforts and dedication to 1-on-1 mentorship. Javi’s emphasis on mentorship extended outside of a Model UN context as well. He forged many genuine friendships with younger members on the team, for whom he was always prepared to drop everything he was doing to provide moral support and guidance. There is a reason why Javi made the All-Star team even though he only attended three conferences this year. Time and time again he has demonstrated his compassion, charisma, and willingness to go the distance for anyone on the team. While Javi will be taking a step back from Model UN next year to focus on academics and his postgraduate career path, his involvement and commitment to GUMUN will never be forgotten.
Kira Bannister
University of Virginia
This effervescent strawberry-blonde dream is back at it again with her second year on the All-Star Team and third year sweeping awards on the collegiate MUN circuit. Kira has led the University of Virginia’s Model UN team for the past two years and has been instrumental to the team’s success both in and out of the committee room. Whether she is running a Zoom training, organizing a socially-distant picnic on the UVA Lawn, or giving last minute arc advice Kira always puts team needs above her own. Her sunshiny smile, stylish outfits, and fiery speeches are sure to draw every delegate’s attention (even on Zoom). Furthermore, Kira created a Model UN class at UVA called “Diplomacy in Practice” with over 70 students where she helped develop the curriculum and assist with teaching. She served as the Under-Secretary General of Crisis Committees for VAMUN for the second year in a row and was the Crisis Director for the Texas Committee at VICS. Can we get a yeehaw for Kira? Kira’s influence on UVA’s Model UN team and the entire circuit is unparalleled and we absolutely cannot wait to see what she accomplishes next year. UVAMUN loves you and appreciates all that you have done! Go Hoos!
Paulina Keim
University of Virginia
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Priyanka Shingwekar
Georgetown University
Despite it only being her second year on the circuit, Priyanka Shingwekar has proven to be both a powerhouse on the circuit and a role model for all members of the Georgetown Model UN team. After racking up several GA awards, including a gavel at SBIMUN this season, Priyanka gaveled her crisis debut at McMUN with a grand total of 98 crisis notes sent (many apologies to the crisis analyst responding to her notes). Priyanka went on to compete and gavel in both the UCBMUN and ChoMUN Ad-Hoc, closing off her season with a four-gavel streak. While her circuit performance is impressive, it is her commitment to mentorship and inclusivity both in GUMUN and the circuit as a whole that continues to inspire us. Internally, Priyanka has been a “coaching extraordinaire” by taking the time to coach twelve members of the travel team this year, many who were first-year students. Furthermore, she has been devoted to developing team policies that foster an even more inclusive deliberation process. Priyanka is committed to bringing such inclusivity to the circuit as a whole through her role as NCSC XLIX’s Secretary-General where she has been a key advocate for NCSC’s first crisis committee that is exclusively for delegates who identify as women or nonbinary. Priyanka, this team is so grateful to have two more years of your mentorship, friendship, and overall girlboss energy. Thank you for staying up for late-night crisis arc planning, for always being a shoulder to lean on, and for teaching all of us that we can accomplish anything if we just set our minds to it. We love you so much!
Rachel DuRose
University of California, Los Angeles
There are few more formidable than our diminutive DuRose, who has catapulted herself over her contemporaries as an exceptional crisis delegate. Rachel Hunter-Bear DuRose, known to her friends and family as “Roach”, is a graduating senior from UCLA that has accomplished a great deal these past four years, especially during the unprecedented nature of MUN this year. Hailing from the swamps of Florida, Rachel hit the ground running at UCLA, infusing a signature passion and dedication into her role as the Director of Logistics her sophomore year. By the time she was a third year, Rachel was elected the Secretary-General for UCLA’s collegiate conference, LAMUN, elevated the UCLA student newspaper with her hard-hitting pieces, and perfected her moscow mules. Rachel though, has always been stellar; anyone who meets her knows that instantly. She unsurprisingly dominated the circuit this year as a head delegate and Director of Travel Team for MUN at UCLA, and wrote herself into a prestigious fellowship at Insider, where she’ll casually redefine what it means to be a journalist. More than her achievements, we should appreciate her impeccable driving in her less than impeccable car, her wonderful acting abilities that carried many crisis committees, her ability to make anyone feel welcomed and loved, and her eloquent speeches that made you consider if the English language had been underutilized until then. To say MUN at UCLA will miss her is beyond an understatement, though we know that she’d pay us a visit if we offered her some chocolate-covered pretzels. That being said, Long Live the Matriarchy (and Go Team)!
Sagar Tiwari
University of Southern California
Resident MUNSC dad, committee clown, and king networker, Sagar Tiwari is one of MUNSC’s most successful and consistent delegates. Sagar brings not only his quick wit, memorable speeches, and aggressively high-pitched cadence to every conference he attends, but also a genuine will to make friends and ensure that everyone has a good time. Whether you’re being pushed out of Q&A or being invited to a kickback, no one can escape the charisma of the circuit’s most lovable power-del. Although largely a GA delegate, Sagar has utilized his Computer Science and Business Administration major along with his diverse interests—including nonprofit work, education, and international law—to compete in an expansive variety of committees. Whether he’s turning committee upside down with his backroom arc or bringing his expertise to a business committee, Sagar never fails to wreak unexpected havoc on committee or make the whole room roll over laughing. In MUNSC, Sagar has been on secretariat for both club conferences: TrojanMUN in the Fall and SCMUN—MUNSC’s conference for high schoolers—in the Spring. Sagar has also been on eboard for several semesters, acting as Team Trainer and Head Del for two of those. He has had a hand in almost every aspect of MUNSC’s work, most recently helping to develop MUNSC’s Community Outreach Program that provides MUN trainings to local South L.A. high schools. Sagar truly possesses a passion for Model U.N. that has made a significant impact on MUNSC’s substantive, competitive, and social culture. He is part of the generation that made MUNSC into a top 15 team, and we owe him so much for his hard work and genuine love for this activity. Thank you, Sagar, for bringing nothing but good energy and active enthusiasm to every room you enter! Sagar will be remembered by his 7 littles (and counting).
Steven Vacnin
The College of William & Mary
Steven Vacnin is a graduating senior at the College of William & Mary studying International Relations and History. Steven has served as Head Delegate of the William & Mary International Relations Club’s MUN Travel Team through this uniquely difficult year, leading the team to an outstanding small delegation award at ChoMUN, outstanding small at AIRMUNC, and outstanding large at NCSC! Besides finishing his MUN career with an impressive collection of tiny hammers, Steven will be best remembered for his inclusive and creative leadership that led W&M to our best travel year in the past 10 years! Steven has also been pivotal in fostering a close-knit MUN community and recruiting several new members to the team in the midst of a pandemic! Steven will be greatly missed and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors!
Timothy Yuan
University of California, Santa Barbara
Serving as the team’s Head Delegate in his second year, and the President in his third, Timothy Yuan has consistently risen above and beyond all things Model UN—and as a computer science major no less. No matter the conference, Tim leaves everything he has on the committee floor, and no delegate can deny the impact he has on the room. This is evident from the numerous gavels he has pulled from across the circuit, including two consecutive gavels at UCBMUN in Ad Hoc and UNSC. But no matter how much effort he puts into his individual performance, Tim never ceases to put the rest of his team first. Whether it is leading up to the conference, during a lunch break, or 2:00am the night after the first committee session, Tim will be providing advice to other teammates on how to improve and give the best possible performance the next day. If he is not beep booping outside of MUN, Tim is expressing his love towards BLACKPINK (a crisis arc specialty), the Golden State Warriors (so inspirational) and League of Legends (the TFT grind never stops). Though we will miss having you as our Head Delegate, we are so grateful to have had you and look forward to sending you into the in-person circuit next year.
COLLEGE MODEL UN ALL-STAR TEAM (SECOND TEAM)
Alec Hoffman
Clark University
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Alex Sutton
Florida International University
Entering FIU this semester as a Freshman, Alex Sutton has overcome the difficulties of “Zoom MUN” and come out as one of the most active delegates on the circuit. He is known to his team and the circuit as a kid with tons of energy and undying passion for Model UN. After joining his high school team and attending numerous FIMUN High School Conferences, Alex decided to attend FIU and has now made a lasting impact on the FIU team. Attending a record of 9 conferences in one semester, he took absolutely no breaks while maintaining consistent awards and a total of 3 gavels. As if that isn’t enough Model UN for one person… Alex ALSO participates as a conference chair of Best Delegate’s spring staff. Alex’s passion for MUN and care for every delegate in committees can be seen in his experiences and performances at Model UN conferences and we are excited to see him grow in these next few years, as a delegate and as a person. We wish him the best next year as he takes on the role as a Head Delegate of FIU’s Model UN Travel Team and the SGA Senator for the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs.
Carter Squires
University of Chicago
Carter Squires is a fourth year at the University of Chicago studying Political Science and Environmental Studies, but juggling majors, campus jobs, and being a crisis director for ChoMUN and MUNUC have not stopped him from establishing a name for himself as our one-of-a-kind “crisis arc generator”. Carter has never been wed to orthodoxy — his taste in memes and sense of humor certainly reflect that, but so does his willingness to overturn tradition and convention for what proves to be a better end. A patient and willing teacher, Carter could always find a way to help you get out of a jam, help you figure out what was going on, or brighten you up, whether you were a first year or an experienced upperclassman. He led us through a harsh and uncertain year and has poised us to guard the top of the circuit for years to come. Team will not be the same without ‘Carter Squires’ Personal Meeting Room’ but we know that even as he heads off to Washington, DC to check on corporate power in the Antitrust office (and of course monitor his poll numbers in Michigan) his presence, dedication, and resolve to always put the Team above himself won’t soon be forgotten.
Chris McCarthy
University of Alabama
As an aerospace engineering major serving as Alabama’s Head Delegate for the upcoming year, you would be hard pressed to find a delegate as passionate about international relations as Christopher McCarthy. Chris has been competing in MUN conferences since high school, racking up as many awards won as lifelong friends made during his time on the circuit. Outside of MUN, Chris enjoys everything athletic and outside, whether it be slamming volleyballs on the beach or hiking with his friends, but he ESPECIALLY enjoys the 99 cent tortilla chips for Aldi’s that make up 85% of his diet. COVID-19 threw a wrench in everyone’s competitive edge over the past year, but instead of letting circumstances affect his performance, he poured his passion for MUN into his team. From running weekly training sessions to presiding over simulations, he passed down his knowledge and skills from his experiences on the circuit in order to open up the team’s new delegates to the beauty of Model UN, even if it was only virtual. We’re excited for what he will achieve in the upcoming year, as well as how he will help others to achieve!
Christian Metivier
University of Chicago
At the beginning of every ChoMUN meeting this year, there was a familiar sight–Christian Metivier, our Secretary-General, making small talk over Zoom, to a call of 100+ people. While it would be easy to tease Christian for his many reused jokes, he has been a huge source of support and care for ChoMUN this year as we weathered the cancellation of last year’s conference and this year’s shift to online. Christian is known on our Team for many things, like his love of chemistry (we get it, you do STEM), Neil Peart, and zooming past people as he runs around campus. But more than anything, Christian is known as a friend. Christian, we’ll miss you and your stories of Canada (your home and native land), but you’ll do great things when you’re living ~in New York~ next year!
John Church
Claremont McKenna College
If you ask anyone about John Church, they will tell you about the friendships they have with him, his fun, creative, and whimsical crisis arcs, and their respect for him as a delegate. As CMCMUN’s Director of Internal Relations, John was an essential part of the leadership team that helped steer CMCMUN through a difficult virtual year, and on top of that, John had an incredible run as a delegate, winning gavels at both HNMUN and in the notorious CHOMUN Ad-Hoc. On top of that, John was half of the team that completely remade CMCMUN’s training program, serving as a mentor, friend, and inspiration to a new generation of CMCMUN crisis delegates. If John is not thinking about his next fun crisis arc or helping another team member, he is probably trying desperately to finally win a game of Catan (which he probably will never do) or working as a software engineer. John’s charisma, compassion, and eccentricity make him beloved by all the people he comes across, and the CMCMUN team is so lucky to have John around for another year. We cannot wait to see what he does both for the team and on the circuit, and we can say with absolute certainty that he will be amazing in whatever he does.
Kenneth Kim
University of Southern California
Kenny is a rising junior at USC who has truly proved himself to be the heart of MUNSC. When he isn’t prepping his arcs for backroom, Kenny is sending spongebob memes in the MUNSC group chat or posting controversial music takes on his Instagram. His enthusiasm has infected every committee he’s been in; despite a year filled with online conferences, he still manages to make great friends with his competition, shake committee up with his creative arcs, and of course, become the all-knowing gossip king. Kenny’s kind and welcoming energy has been imperative to our team’s success throughout this transitionary year; without his networking skills, our younger members would not be as integrated as they are. His consideration has shown the team how close we can be from thousands of miles apart at times. We can’t wait to see Kenny continue to succeed next year, and are pumped to have him join the All Stars Team! MUNSC loves you Kenny!! FIGHT ON!
Kunal Borde
Georgetown University
Kunal Borde is a rising sophomore at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business majoring in Business and Global Affairs. In his first year on the collegiate Model U.N. circuit, Kunal quickly established himself as the team’s resident “MSBro,” taking on the circuit’s toughest corporate board committees with undeniable style. Competing at HallMUN, McMUN, MUNE, ChoMUN, and LAMUN, Kunal walked away with awards in every conference and his first college gavel at MUNE. However, Kunal’s unceasing dedication to supporting and uplifting everyone on team GUMUN is undoubtedly his greatest contribution to the team. In its long history, Georgetown has never had a freshman nominated to the All-Star team before, adding testament to Kunal’s historic first year as a member of team GUMUN. We are all incredibly excited to see Kunal’s MUN career continue to grow in his next three years on the Hilltop.
Kyleb Bello
University of Chicago
Kyleb Bello is a senior who served as Director of the University of Chicago’s Traveling Team this year. Everyone on the Team has a story they can share about a time Kyleb gave them advice on a committee, life, or just reminded them to have fun in the midst of stressful conferences. There’s no one of the Team who could help craft a Ratatouille arc as easily as a Kim Possible arc all while debriefing nearly the entire GA Team. After a nearly undefeated season his junior year, Kyleb spent the bulk of this year focused on training and debriefing first year delegates. He did come back for one last hurrah last month, absolutely crushing the LAMUN Ad Hoc all while adding one final gavel to his extensive collection. Even in an all virtual year, Kyleb has gone the extra mile to get to know each member of the Team and serve as a support system for so many of us. Even though he’ll be graduating next year his influence on each of us will live on in the form of Da Baby, shots on the quad (it’s ok, he’s 21), and Team self care. It’s tragic that Kyleb won’t be with us next year, but we can’t wait to see all the ways he’s able to use his new mantra, LET’S GO LET’S GO, in the workplace next year.
Nicholas Velazquez
Florida International University
Nicholas Velazquez or “Nick V” is a recent graduate at Florida International University majoring in International Relations. During his time on the team, he has been able to show that he has been a great influence to others on the FIU Model UN team, and even others across the MUN circuit. With staying up way later then expected to help other team members with developing strategies for GA, and even helping others have an idea for an arc, he has truly shown that he truly cares for everyone across the activity. As possibly the youngest head delegate the team has ever had, Nick has been able to prove that he’s up for a challenge, while leading a great team. Asides from that, Nick brings the FUN in MUN. With his crazy, but extremely funny abbreviations, he has been able to make an abbreviation out of “Pita”, “Tomato”, and even “Tzatziki”! If you’d ask him why he would have different foods and condiments as abbreviations, he’d tell you it’s for his gyro recipe that he’s including in a GA resolution. As Nicholas graduates, and moves on to bigger and better things, we would like to wish him a great deal of luck in his future adventures!
Oran Farkas
University of California, Los Angeles
Oran Farkas is a senior at UCLA studying physics and political science. When he’s not reminding you that he’s a physics major, he is busy working for Israel with the United Nations. Despite not traveling on the circuit this year, Oran has been part of Model UN since his freshman year – staffing UCLA’s high school and collegiate conferences BruinMUN and LAMUN. Model UN at UCLA is glad Oran is graduating as we know he will carry himself in his future career the same way he did while in Model UN.
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Sam Bogen
Claremont McKenna College
Sam Bogen is the Crisis Training Manager for the CMC Model UN team. Having participated in MUN since high school, Sam is among the most experienced members of our team, and fittingly, he is among the most successful. During this difficult online season, Sam persevered and won a gavel in the UNSC at HNMUN, an Outstanding in the UNSC at CHOMUN, and a gavel in the Ad-Hoc at LAMUN. Additionally, Sam has helped our team cultivate and maintain relationships with other schools, an effort that many of us believe has become a foundation of our team culture. Sam’s hobbies include speaking quickly, calling people at odd hours of the day, and inserting baseball facts into unrelated conversations. He is also known for openly discussing crisis arcs in ways that greatly concern non-MUN bystanders. His wit, professionalism, and constant support of our team have earned him the respect of not only his fellow team members but also the CMC and MUN circuit communities at large. As a sophomore, Sam is only halfway through his college MUN journey, and we can’t wait to see what these next years hold for him. They will undoubtedly include some of the greatest crisis performances ever seen.
Sarah Conrad
University of Alabama
Upon meeting Sarah Conrad, it is impossible not to see what our entire team has fallen in love with: her charisma, uniqueness, and talent. Raised in West Chester, Pennsylvania, Sarah is a graduate of the University of Alabama with degrees in finance and economics. Sarah has participated in Model United Nations since her sophomore year of high school and throughout college. At UA, she was the director of the AIRC Model United Nations Outreach Program for two years where she mentored and taught Model UN in Tuscaloosa-area high schools. As she entered her senior year of college, she was elected Head Delegate of the UA IRC and in further testament to her force on the circuit and the legacy she leaves, Sarah holds the UA team record for gavels at Model United Nations conferences. As she begins her journey working at Goldman Sachs in New York City, the entirety of AIRC wishes her well and will greatly miss her presence at both conferences and our meetings. Roll Tide!
Siddhant Gannu
University of California, Santa Barbara
Siddhant “Arkham Chaos” Gannu is a graduating senior who, following the trauma of the UCSB math department, has switched from Statistics to a major in Political Science. Despite only joining Model UN midway through his third year due to his unfortunate involvement/obsession with Mock Trial, he has worked tirelessly as the Crisis Head Delegate toward the improvement of our team. From his Mock Trial Bio: “If you try to talk to him outside of Mock Trial, he might not hear you because he wears headphones 24/7.” Luckily, the UCSB Model United Nations team was able to poach his talents, both as an individual delegate and as a guru of public speaking. His commitment to speaking is so great that he practically lived on Tim’s couch the past year after countless late night training sessions (and Town of Salem matches, of course). He is incredibly competitive, and though it has made him insufferable in Catan, it has also led him to earn an award in every conference he has ever attended, demonstrating his dominance across the circuit. The team will greatly miss his mentorship, wisdom, but most of all, his nonstop anime references. We love you, Sid, and you’re gonna kill it on the East Coast.
Tai Fox
American University
Tai Fox is a rising senior pursuing a degree in International Relations with a focus on Environmental Sustainability. His contributions to AU’s Model UN team are impressive and widespread. As part of the AU Model UN organization, Tai is one of the most vital members of our team. Tai consistently brought his efforts to the team despite the challenges and trials of online conferences. Since joining the team freshman year, Tai has an extremely impressive record, awarding at every conference except one. Beyond Tai’s great record and abilities, he is a committed teammate who cares more about the team’s success than his own. Tai was one of the few seniors who would make it to practice and was actively engaged and reach out to our new members. Tai constantly offered and assisted the leadership team in order to better prepare and train our new members. Even now, many younger members of our team go to Tai for additional help and preparation for conferences. Tai is not only a big award winner, but he is a leader, a dedicated member, and an absolute pleasure for anyone to call a teammate. Outside of the team, Tai served as the Simulation Director this year, where he created and perfected AmeriMUNC VIII’s simulation. The success of AmeriMUNC’s first virtual conference weighed directly on his work and his ability to lead his team. With Tai’s incredible work ethic and lead-by-example attitude, it is no surprise that he has garnered the respect of everyone who has had the distinct pleasure of working with him. His positive impact on this organization will only increase as he takes on the role of CEO for the American University International Relations Society, the umbrella organization that oversees the AU MUN Team, AmeriMUNC, WIRC, and more.
Timothy Obiso
Boston University
Timothy Obiso is a rising senior studying Linguistics at Boston University and the outgoing head delegate of the MUN@BU team. He competed and won at conferences from NCSC to ChoMUN. Impressively, he led the MUN@BU team to a delegation award at every conference MUN@BU attended, seven Best Small Delegation Awards, and multiple conferences with 100% award rates. From running chaotic training simulations to finding the most fun speaking games for practice, Timothy added spirit to the MUN@BU team. Always with a consistent smile and a cheerful “Hey Besties,” his leadership brought the MUN@BU team closer together and he inspired everyone he met. After every committee session, he would sit on Zoom hours after with the team and listen to them complain about their committee struggles and sympathize with everyone. Despite the challenges of a pandemic, his leadership brought the entire team to success. He developed a strong bond with every member of the team, inspiring a sense of friendship among everyone, and he will be missed as our head delegate next year. Next year, we are so excited to continue being on a team with our bestie!
Will Tran
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
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COLLEGE MODEL UN ALL-STAR TEAM (THIRD TEAM)
Aashni Jain
The College of William & Mary
Aashni is a rising sophomore at the College of William and Mary/University of St. Andrews Joint Degree Program. Aashni is well known for her ability to put a smile on any other delegate’s face. While she might be live tweeting during conferences, she is a dedicated staffer and an even more dedicated delegate who will bring her all to every experience she has partaken in. Although Aashni is leaving William and Mary for a bit, she is sure to do even bigger and better things at the University of St. Andrews; that is, until she returns her senior year to once again dominate on the MUN Circuit.
Alex Marjanovich
Virginia Tech
Alex Marjanovic is one of our most hard working and dedicated delegates. He began his Model United Nations career as early as middle school and never stopped. During high school, Alex garnered awards in both high school and collegiate conferences. During his senior year, Alex was given the position of secretariat of Langley High School’s team, helping train newer delegates in public speaking and Crisis fundamentals. While attending Virginia Tech Alex pursues a major in Multimedia Journalism with a minor in international relations and Russian. While Alex is one with a variety of passions from his job as a hospitality staffer to his love for screenwriting he worked exceptionally in his role as Training Director for Crisis Committee on the the executive board of the VTMUN program. There he has helped to foster a culture of family and success for the new program by helping to bring light to a variety of unobserved international issues, while also teaching Crisis fundamentals to the newer delegates of the program. Most notably Alex received a verbal mention at the NCSC. Alex remains a dedicated leader, a hard worker, and a good friend.
Alexi Dubois
Concordia University
Alexi Dubois has been a dependable and motivated member of the Model United Nations community since he began participating as a delegate five years ago at Dawson College. He has since served as the president of Dawson’s external delegation, as well as the Director of Administration for the Montreal United Nations Conference (MUNC). He is currently studying Journalism at Concordia University, where his contagious passion for MUN has led him to serve as the Secretary General of Concordia’s own United Nations Conference (ConMUN). Alexi is also an active member of Concordia’s External Delegation Team (CED), where this year alone he won four awards, including a Best Delegate at both ChoMUN and MUNE. Throughout his time at Concordia, Alexi has devoted himself to making the MUN circuit more inclusive, and his trademark turtlenecks are always a welcome sight at any committee. Besides being a killer delegate and a fantastic leader, Alexi is also an amazing friend. His mentorship, endless encouragement and perseverance are only part of the reason why everyone wants him on their team. Alexi, thank you for helping to transform ConMUN into one big family – we are so proud of you!
Danielle Rommerdahl
University of California, Los Angeles
“I’m not going to be THAT involved.” While this may be what Danielle Rommerdahl told herself (and others) when she first joined MUN at UCLA , the mantra definitely did not stick. This is made abundantly clear by the fact that Danielle served as the President of the club for the 2020-21 academic year. Danielle has been a staple member of MUN at UCLA for her entire college experience; previously serving as the Secretary-General of BruinMUN, UCLA’s over 1,500-person high school conference, and acting as the Travel Team’s resident GA baddie. During this unprecedented year for the MUN circuit, Danielle dedicated her energy to ensuring that the club would remain a cornerstone experience for so many eager students on UCLA’s {virtual} campus – through her dedication and hard-work UCLA successfully hosted the first virtual iterations of all its conferences, excelled at competitive travel conferences, filled the Executive Board and Secretariats for the coming year, and welcomed many new faces to the MUN family. While Danielle’s cat, Miss Rat, is definitely everyone’s favorite Head Delegate, it was Danielle’s persistence and passion for MUN that kept the club motivated during this chaotic year. After four years with UCLA’s team, and a total of 8 years in MUN, Danielle is ready to peace out and begin her post-grad career in New York City. UCLA will miss the laughter, energy, love and white claws that Danielle brought to the club and wish her the best of luck ~finally~ retiring. We will miss the fearless leader of the matriarchy!
Evan Medcraft
Clark University
After two years on our team, Evan has become one of the most successful delegates we have seen in the past academic year. As a political science major, past Archivist on the team and now the rising Chief of Administration for the team, Evan has dedicated so much time to our team and to a life of leading in politics and changing the world for the better. He is known on the team for his incredible skill to keep his cool during hours of phone-banking and for his passion for soccer. Evan is one of the most creative crisis delegates you will ever run into; no matter what the committee is about, he always succeeds at causing chaos and wrecking havoc! This year he walked away with two Best Delegate awards, 2 Outstandings, and 2 Verbals. We are very excited to have him on the team for another year and to see what he is capable of as he wraps up his time on the Clark Model UN team!
Hallie Georguson
University of California, Santa Barbara
As the GA Head Delegate for UCSB Model United Nations this past year, Hallie has led the team to its most successful season yet. Despite being a double major in political science and philosophy (which she will not let you forget), Hallie always makes time to help others grow, even sacrificing her own preparation for the good of the team. That does not stop her from being an exceptional delegate who always brings 110% energy every time she competes; you can be confident she will always walk out of the weekend with an award. Hallie might tell you that she is not a Koreaboo, but she has taken multiple Korean classes and her affinity for K-Pop crisis arcs tells a different story. Although she gets a bit roasted by the team (she wrote an essay on asparagus), we all love her, even if we do not say it to her face. She is the embodiment of what it means to be a great delegate, an amazing mentor, and even better friend. We look forward to her leading the club to new heights as President next year. Yeehaw!
Jack Bratton
The College of William & Mary
Jack is a rising sophomore at the College of William and Mary/University of St. Andrews Joint Degree Program. Having competed at over 5 conferences this year, Jack has taken the virtual college Model UN Circuit by storm. Known for his strange arcs and his even stranger in-committee alliances, Jack is a force to be reckoned with as his friendliness, passion, and creativity will always take center stage. Although Jack is leaving the William and Mary team next year to go over and drink tea in the United Kingdom, he will certainly be back to crush an in-person MUN circuit his senior year.
Kelsey Gilchrist
University of Chicago
Within minutes of meeting Kelsey Gilchrist, you learn that she’s someone who knows what she’s talking about. Whether it’s astrophysics, gender theory, molecular engineering, or gluten-free baking, Kelsey is a woman of many interests and doesn’t half-ass any of them. Serving as one of our Team’s Head Delegates this year, Kelsey consistently showed that same passion when she was training, debriefing, or supporting our Team as we navigated the perils of this strange virtual year. From long walks to vent about conference, building snowmen at midnight, or taking on the circuit’s Ad-Hoc committees, Kelsey has been a dear friend to many and a crucial part of our Team for three years now. We can’t wait to have her serving as our Director next year!
Krista Albertins
Loyola University of Chicago
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Mai Rubin
Florida State University
Mai Rubin has been crucial to the success of Florida State University’s team for the past four years. A debate kid turned Model UN nerd, Mai will forever be remembered for his impassioned speeches punctuated with energetic hand movements. Outside of competition, Mai can be found scavenging for mozzarella sticks and arranging lunch plans with his friends. Mai’s friends on the circuit will remember him for always knowing when you need a little extra emotional support. Mai earned the distinction of being selected as FSU’s Spirit of the Program for the 2020-2021 year and continues to serve as a close friend and a mentor to everyone on the team. As a leader in the programming committee, Mai has led numerous successful trainings and has served as the head delegate at two conferences, making him an essential part of FSU’s success on the circuit this past year. After graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences this spring, Mai will move on to attend law school at Arizona State University. While we are sad to see him go, we know he will continue to bring warmth and a competitive spirit wherever he ends up.
Meesha Reiisieh
American University
Meesha Reiisieh, standing at a proud 4 feet 11 inches, is easily the AU Model United Nations Team’s MVP. Currently a rising senior, Meesha has shown her unwavering dedication to helping the team reach new heights, serving as the Assistant Head Delegate her sophomore year and leading the team to its highest-ever ranking of #2 in North America in the fall of 2019. As the team’s Head Delegate this year, she was the glue that kept us together while we navigated the shift to a virtual format, from recruiting, to team management, zoom diplomacy, and more. Her selflessness cannot be compared. If something needed to get done, she was there to do it, even if it meant waking up hours before anyone else while living in PST, running debriefs at conferences where she didn’t compete, or taking on crisis committees as a faithful GA delegate–all while raking in award after award. And as a double major in Political Science and Psychology, she never failed to draw from her (scarily accurate) knowledge on behavior for the team’s strategic advantage. We are the luckiest to have had Meesha as a competitor, leader, and friend, and we could not be happier that she is with us for one more year. Thank you for everything, Meesha. This team wouldn’t be what it is without you.
Miranda Bordeau
University of Georgia
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Nate Goble
University of Southern California
Anyone who has ever encountered Nate at a conference knows his head is always in a different dimension. Nate has just completed his fourth and final year with USC, graduating with a degree in neuroscience and a minor in philosophy. From the very beginning, Nate came in strong in MUN, gavelling the very first conference he attended with the team. Along the way in his time at MUNSC, his creative crisis arcs have garnered him awards at every conference he’s attended. His secret? Having a fun time! Simply put, there is no one else who can truly enjoy conferences as much as Nate can. From creating wacky crisis arcs to making new friends on the circuit, he always competes with a happy-go-lucky energy that keeps everyone in high spirits. On the team, he never fails to miss an opportunity to spend time with members and always puts effort into meeting new members and introducing them to the wonders of MUNSC. Even during the past challenging year, Nate worked hard to create the spirit of MUNSC. He’s a kind soul, a fierce debater, and an amazing friend, and he will definitely be missed. Congrats Nate, MUNSC is so proud of you! FTFO!
Rory Fedorochko
The College of William & Mary
Rory is a rising senior at the College of William & Mary and an active member of W&M’s International Relations Club. This year, Rory represented W&M with creativity, kindness, and passion. In every committee he competed in, Rory brought excitement and dedication. His awards at UNCMUNC, NCSC, UCBMUN, and ChoMUN aside, Rory brings infectious enthusiasm to every committee or team he is a part of. Rory is always willing and excited to help his team brainstorm the most elaborate and niche of crisis plans, while putting on his own elaborate narratives in the backroom of his committees. W&M is so excited to have Rory on our team for another year, and can’t wait to see the extensive impact he makes!
Stephen Hoffman
Seton Hall University
Stephen is a graduating senior at Seton Hall University, double majoring in Political Science and History with minors in Middle Eastern Studies and Legal Studies in Business. Stephen has served as President for two years as well as the Secretary General of Seton Hall’s first ever college level Model United Nations competition HallMUN. Over the last two years of Stephen’s leadership, SHUNA has gone from a middle of the pack competitive team to one of the top 20 in North America. Stephen has attended every single conference that the team has traveled to during his time at Seton Hall, picking up many gavels and awards along the way. His leadership and ability to work with everyone in the club transitioned well into the online format we have had the last year. Despite the hardships of online MUN and the lack of in person communication,Stephen was the catalyst for fun and interactive MUN experiences. The club will miss Stephen very much next year, but he has set everyone up with such a great foundation for the future.
Sydney Steger
Boston University
Sydney Steger is a rising Junior at Boston University studying International Relations with a concentration in Asia and International Systems and World Order. After starting MUN in high school in her beloved New Hampshire, Sydney began her journey with collegiate MUN doing large GAs, before her first venture into crisis had her saying “Gotta catch em all!”. This year, she swept Crisis and GA committees alike at some of the hardest conferences on the circuit, where her impeccable speaking and attention to detail led her to take home multiple gavels. At BU, she has also served as the Chief Communications Officer for BarMUN XIII and as a Director for the MUN@BU team this past year. Sydney is known on the team for her love of tik tok dances, passion for East Asian politics, and unbridled and unabashed theatre kid energy. She is an amazing delegate and more importantly an incredible friend to everyone she meets, whether in the committee room or out. Her kindness to others and passion for MUN has impacted every member of our team, and we are all better for it. We love her and cannot wait to see what she accomplishes in the coming year!
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Congratulations to all the delegates! Thank you for your leadership in college Model UN this year. We look forward to seeing how college Model UN continues next year.
